What can we learn from Hong Kong’s Approach to Building Sustainable Finance Skills
Across global financial sectors, the question is no longer whether to build sustainable finance capability, it’s how. Hong Kong offers a clear example of what can be achieved where authorities, organisations and professionals work together to upskill the workforce at pace.
A Collaborative Model in Practice
In Hong Kong, capability building is being accelerated through partnerships and expanding Hong Kong’s talent pool in green and sustainable finance. The Hong Kong Government’s Pilot Green and Sustainable Finance Capacity Building Support Scheme, launched in 2022–and extended through to 2028, demonstrates how policy support can lower barriers to learning. It also signals the strategic importance of skills development to better support the city’s climate strategies, strengthen its position as a global finance hub, and contribute to the broader transition to a low-carbon economy. Within this model:
-
Authorities set direction and create the enabling conditions
-
Firms and professionals commit their time and attention to upskilling, and
-
Our Institute contributes a globally recognised qualifications that maps the skills journey from foundational knowledge to practical application, with clear progression routes.
This collaboration helps ensure learning is relevant, scalable and outcomes focused so organisations can build teams capable of managing climate related risks, developing sustainable products and supporting transition plans.
The Scheme provides subsidies to current and aspiring market practitioners pursuing relevant training and professional qualifications in green and sustainable. With HK$200 million allocated, eligible participants can receive up to HK$10,000 in reimbursement upon successful completion of approved programmes.
The Professional Qualification Contribution
With finance playing a critical role in supporting sustainable finance, professionals across banking, investment and insurance all need to navigate emerging regulations, identify related risks while ensuring capital flows to sustainable investment opportunities.
The Certificate in Green and Sustainable Finance provides structured, assessed learning on:
Climate science and its financial impacts
-
Risks management and regulation
-
Green and sustainable financial products across banking, investment, and insurance
-
The role of finance professionals in supporting a low-carbon economy
It also connects into broader professional pathways supporting longer-term capability across the sector so that sustainable finance becomes more deeply rooted in core banking and finance decision making.
The Example
As noted earlier, in Hong Kong, this programme is accredited under the Pilot Green and Sustainable Finance Capacity Building Support Scheme, which means eligible Hong Kong based participants can access local subsidies (covering up to 80-100% of course fees), a feature specific to that jurisdiction.
Not every market will replicate Hong Kong’s funding model. The transferable lesson isn’t the subsidy; it’s the architecture of collaboration:
-
A shared skills roadmap across authorities, firms and professional bodies.
-
Recognised programmes that are practical, portable and aligned with real roles.
-
Clear progression pathways so individuals can build capability over time.
-
Measurement of outcomes, not just enrolments—linking learning to risk, product and customer impact.
Hong Kong’s experience highlights a principle that applies everywhere: building sustainable finance capability isn’t just about individual learning. It’s about creating systems where policy, partnerships and professional development work together. The challenge for all of us is how to replicate that momentum in our own markets.
Take the Next Step
Investing in your skills in green and sustainable finance is more than a career decision - it’s a commitment to the future of finance and the planet.
Hong Kong residents can apply here.
If you are based outside Hong Kong and interested in studying this qualification, please visit here.